Followers of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar are livid at Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut for likening their leader to a pink chameleon. Raut made this comment at an election meeting of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Mumbai on Friday. Though the obvious reference was to Ajit’s decision to wear pink jackets following a PR firm’s advice, what Raut meant was the way the NCP leader had been changing his statements over the past few days. Ajit had expressed regrets in a channel interview just a couple of days ago for fielding his wife Sunetra against his cousin Supriya Sule in Baramati for the Lok Sabha election. His latest statement that he may not contest the assembly election himself from Baramati seat has miffed his party workers since the constituency has been loyal to him since the 1990s. Some of his close associates are reportedly in two minds about continuing with him. Launching a broadside against him, Raut said the pink colour never succeeds in politics. He gave the example of the rout of KCR’s Bharat Rasthra Samiti. Raut said, “Only the saffron or the tricolour succeed in politics.” By this, he indicated the party flags of the Congress and the Sena (UBT). Raut’s remarks evoked instant reactions. NCP(SP) emerging leader Yugendra Pawar made it clear that such criticism was not desirable. He reminded the Sena MP that Ajit Pawar was his paternal uncle after all.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is among the frontrunners to don the mantle of the president of the BJP. Sitting president J P Nadda’s term will soon come to an end. When Nadda was inducted in the Modi 3.0 team, it was obvious that the party will start looking for its new president. Besides giants like Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Dharmendra Pradhan, the name of Fadnavis is making rounds of the political grapevine in the national capital. However, the state assembly election being slated for October this year, some rethink about the schedule of his installation at the BJP headquarters could take place. BJP top brass has not given any indication either way but whispers are seeping out about the party machine’s overhaul. Owing to the disappointing show of the party in the Lok Sabha election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to be more malleable now towards RSS suggestions. In such a scenario, Fadnavis will fit the bill perfectly as he is close to both, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Modi. If and when Fadnavis is elevated, the thorny issue of selecting the next chief minister of Maharashtra will automatically get resolved as present incumbent Eknath Shinde or another DCM, Ajit Pawar, will be asked to run the show provided the NDA wins a majority. Fadnavis has time and again expressed his desire to devote to the party work.

Name calling, jibes, taunts, dares have become a daily TV routine in Maharashtra in the run-up to the 2024 state polls. Leading the pack has been the estranged partners — BJP and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena  — whose leaders have been warning of finishing each other politically. Chief minister Eknath Shinde gets criticised for ‘stealing’ a political party complete with name, symbol, ideology and even a father. Raj Thackeray gets mocked for waking up late, Ajit Pawar faces jokes over his pink jackets as much as for his corruption scandals, while Uddhav Thackeray faces jibes for operating from his home as a chief ministerial stint. His son Tejas Thackeray too does not get spared for dancing at the Ambani wedding.  Uddhav pointsman Sanjay Raut gets called morning siren for his daily morning press briefings that lambast all his opponents. The BJP too has set up Nitesh Rane specifically to counter him who gives it back in equally colourful language even as it has allocated daily briefings to counter the daily tirade of allegations and counter-allegations. The name calling also got personal at times like when NCP spokesperson Vidya Chavan put out call recordings in a press conference showing how BJP leader Chitra Wagh tried to incite her daughter-in-law to take to the press against her party leadership. Not surprisingly, those with ears to the ground believe that the pot has been kept boiling deliberately as a smokescreen to avoid focus and questions on ground reality that could prove difficult for all. Considering that all parties have been partners or opponents at some point or the other, too many questions could get uncomfortably closer home for almost every party or combination.

It’s been raining doles or revdis in Maharashtra. Be it for women, girl college students, unemployed youth, the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government has been promising stipends, free gas cylinders and subsidies almost every week. Leading the pack has been the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana that promises monthly stipend of Rs 1500 for women, which has got overwhelming response with over 1.8 crore applications received. Each of the faction of the Mahayuti alliance be it the chief minister Eknath Shinde from the Shiv Sena, Ajit Pawar or Devendra Fadnavis, have been taking credit for it, even before the disbursement of first instalment scheduled on Raksha Bandhan day (Aug 19).  Though the state has over Rs 7.8 lakh crore debt, it has already sanctioned Rs 35,000 crores of the annual outlay of Rs 46,000 crore this budget for this scheme. This scheme, which is the equivalent of Madhya Pradesh’s Ladli Behna scheme, is expected to replay the MP government electoral verdict here. A recent survey by Sakaal media group has shown that the ruling Mahayuti front could bag 136 seats as opposed to 152 seats by the MVA front and the Mahayuti hopes that this scheme could help cover up the short gap in the numbers game between the ruling and opposing front explains. Shinde Sena’s spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam. These schemes could tilt the scale in favour of Mahayuti. Devendra Fadnavis has asked people not to enrol from desks set up by offices of opposition parties, as they might not submit forms in a bid to discredit the scheme. Though Ajit Pawar claims that the state has enough funds to continue these schemes, he warned people against voting for opposition lest they discontinue this scheme. 

The Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections due in October/November 2024 has the BJP recalibrating its poll plans in the wake of the setback it suffered in the state at the recent hustings for the Lok Sabha. A revitalized and wiser BJP deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to stake a claim to contest 130 to 135 state assembly seats out of the 288 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra. At the recently held party conclave in Pune last week the BJP’s face for Maharashtra, shedding his inaccessibility tag, exhorted party men to desire and deserve party candidatures for the state assemblies with the only proviso that they consciously refrain from indulging in controversial public speaking. “The BJP has always performed well when a triangular political fight took place in Maharashtra, as in 2014 and 2019 securing when it won 122 seats and 105 seats respectively. The party is backing up DCM Ajit Pawar wholeheartedly to ensure a repeat in their poll fortunes in the state of Maharashtra,” BJP’s Maharashtra Executive Committee member Mahendra Jain avers dismissing talks of imminent plans to eject the Maratha leader as just idle chatter. All the same, loud rumblings abound of possible plans by the prodigal nephew of Sharad Pawar to reinvent his political positioning in Maharashtra. The BJP’s desperation for Maharashtra is undeniable, considering it lost the state in 1999 under then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure and again in 2019 under PM Modi, when the MVA alliance trumped BJP prospects in the state and, is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to rule the state. The poll efforts of the BJP are easier said than done what with the tallest Maratha leader in Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray of the original Shiv Sena busy garnering a double sympathy wave for their respective political formations once again in tandem with the Congress. Only time will tell for whom the political bells toll?

The present and former home ministers of Maharashtra are entangled in a fierce word war, hurling serious allegations against each other. Former home minister Anil Deshmukh has claimed that he had received a proposal from deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to escape the ED’s action. Fadnavis is the home minister, too. Deshmukh has named a Jan Surajya Party leader, Samit Kadam, as the go-between. Kadam is learnt to be from Miraj in Sangli district and has refused to respond to any queries. Deshmukh was in the ED custody for a long time and has been out on bail. He said Kadam came to him repeatedly on behalf of Fadnavis and has threatened to make public certain video clips about the meetings. Fadnavis has refuted all allegations and countered that Deshmukh should come out with concrete evidence. He has threatened that he will publicise the information in his possession about Deshmukh after the latter really releases the clips. Deshmukh has reiterated his charge that there was a plan to arrest Uddhav Thackeray, his son Aaditya, Ajit Pawar (then DCM) and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab. He said Kadam had carried four affidavits and had asked him to sign them. “Had I signed them, all these four leaders would be behind bars today,” Deshmukh has said. The ruling and opposition formations are now busy discrediting each other over the controversy as the state assembly election approaches.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has given a clarion call to the BJP rank and file. “Do not wait for a directive, jump into the ring,” he told a BJP conclave held in Pune to strategize for the upcoming assembly election in the state. Always lauded for his measured words and restraint, Fadnavis has surprised even his disciple by ordering the party organisation to become aggressive. Repeatedly castigating the so-called ‘Fake Narrative’ used by the opposition to spread disinformation about the BJP for the parliamentary election, Fadnavis lamented the fact that even the BJP’s elected representatives were reticent on this count. “Our workers await directives. I now ask you to start batting in full swing,” he said amidst great cheers. Pune is the BJP stronghold as well as that of NCP leader Sharad Pawar. In this connection, he rationalised the alliance with rival NCP’s Ajit Pawar. Following the BJP’s poor show in the election, many party functionaries and even RSS mouthpieces have started questioning the justification for taking Ajit along. Fadnavis said on some occasions, it becomes necessary to retreat a couple of paces to attain the objective. The saffron party is known to operate according to the directives (Aadesh) received from the top. The fiat issued by Fadnavis is seen as a signal to the BJP workers to show initiative at local levels and deal accordingly with the opposition.

The meeting of Chhagan Bhujbal with his ex-mentor Sharad Pawar, has set the tongues wagging about the formation of a third front in the state. The presence of the Uddhav Thackeray aide Milind Narvekar in the meeting also meant that the Shiv Sena chief too has been kept in the loop about developments. Bhujbal, who heads the Samata Parishad, an Other Backward Class (OBC) platform, has been talking strongly against reservations being granted for the blood relatives of the Maratha community. While Bhujbal is unlikely to join hands with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), there is a buzz about senior Pawar pushing Bhujbal to put up a fight as a separate entity. Bhujbal could prove to be the strong counterfoil against the BJP by attracting the strong OBC vote bank, the mainstay of the BJP. Bhujbal who is part of the Ajit Pawar faction of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), is increasingly feeling cornered within the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance. Ajit Pawar is also under pressure following a campaign launched against him by the BJP labelling him as a liability in their alliance. Ajit Pawar’s recent strong stance of visiting Vishalgad fort personally and offering monetary compensation to those whose structures were demolished, mainly from the minority community, is being viewed as an independent step in that direction. This front led by Ajit Pawar, expected to fight polls on a secular plank, is expected to attract a lot of rebels including from the BJP. There is a strong buzz that the party might change almost 78 of its 105 legislators including many of the established faces in the state election.

If you meet Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar next time and find him wearing a pink jacket, don’t be surprised. The NCP leader has started donning pink following the advice of his strategist Naresh Arora, of DesigneBoxed Creatives. After suffering grievously in the Lok Sabha election, Ajit changed his campaign advisor and roped in Arora. Soon afterwards, he held a meeting of his followers and made it clear that those wishing to switch over to uncle Sharad Pawar were welcome to leave. Now he has decided to rebuild his party from the grassroots level. Significantly, he made this declaration in Baramati, stronghold of the Pawar clan because there are consistent media reports that many of his followers are on the verge of rejoining Sharad Pawar, a few did. One aspect of the overall invigorating preparation is to build his own image. Accordingly, besides displaying pink, Ajit has also started displaying the NCP badge on his chest. Henceforth, pink will be seen conspicuously in NCP(Ajit) functions, it seems. However, the party flag and election symbol will remain unchanged, it has been made clear. Ajit has started touring the state. While propagating the Mahayuti agenda, he will assess the mood of the NCP rank and file in view of thorny saffron criticism that the BJP was hit hard in Maharashtra in the LS polls on account of its handshake with Ajit. His planning will be based on the feedback.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has appointed political campaign specialist Naresh Arora to plan the strategy of his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for the state assembly election, due later this year. The drubbing in the Lok Sabha election suffered by his party has forced Ajit to reorient his plans and strategy. As part of this, Arora has been drafted. He has an impressive list of some successful political campaigns. Arora’s induction and a 90-day plan suggested by him are the subject of curiosity now. In a significant step, Ajit and his close confidants, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, visited the famous Siddhivinayak temple in central Mumbai along with several NCP legislators. The darshan visit has taken place on the eve of the election for 11 seats of the state legislative council. It will be a tough test for Ajit as well as Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray as cross voting will determine the outcome. Uddhav’s right hand Milind Narvekar’s entry into the ring has heightened suspense since he has been liaising with MLAs belonging to all parties to ensure a favourable result for him. As a precaution, Ajit has decided to lodge his party MLAs in a five-star hotel and the Congress party, too, has decided to adopt the same precaution to prevent any poaching of the votes. The election on 12 July will impact the scenario for the impending assembly polls.

Mumbai and Maharashtra’s Chirag Shetty may have stirred the hornet’s nest by telling the Government of Maharashtra to look at the achievements of sportspersons of the State in Olympic sport and reward them, just as they do for cricketers. He was only refreshing the people in authority that he, too, as a son of the soil, had helped India win the ultimate prize in badminton — the seven-plus decade-old Thomas Cup in 2022. A doubles specialist — his partner being Satwiksairaj Rankireddy from Telangana — Chirag had played his part in the historic win. The young shuttlecock player made a timely appeal soon after the Government of Maharashtra feted the Mumbai players and support staff of the Indian team that won the Twenty20 World Cup in Barbados on June 29 with a cash award of Rs 11 crore.  Former India player and coach Uday Pawar has hit the nail on its head, saying that a mechanism in place for winning World Cup level competitions would straightaway reward sportspersons and that achievers like Chirag can focus on their sport. Chirag, along with his partner, are among the top doubles pairs in the World, and the badminton community in India is fondly hoping for a medal from the doubles pair in the forthcoming Summer Olympics in Paris. On the count of sweat and toil, Chirag is no less than any other champion performer. Chirag doesn’t grudge the cricketers being applauded before the lawmakers in the Vidan Sabhan, and most importantly, he is only asking the likes of Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar to pat achievers in other sports on their back and be generous on money matters.

The election for 11 seats of the Maharashtra legislative council will be a gamechanger since there are 12 candidates in the fray. In other words, there will be cross voting unless one of the candidates retires, though the possibility of this happening is remote. According to the present house statistics, the BJP being the largest party in the lower house will have no problem in getting its five candidates elected in the election to be held on July 12. Similarly, the NCP led by Ajit Pawar and the Shiv Sena under chief minister Eknath Shinde have fielded two candidates each. The vote quota for the winner being 23, both these factions will need to organise a little support from smaller parties and unattached independents. The real test will be faced by the Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray, who has fielded his close confidant Milind Narvekar in a surprise move. Given Narvekar’s excellent equation with all prominent leaders in Maharashtra, his win is considered certain. Sharad Pawar’s NCP has decided to support Peasants and Workers Party leader Jayant Patil while the Congress has decided to contest for just one seat. Thackeray was jolted two years ago when nine of his supporters had voted for his opposition candidates. Thus, cross voting will be inevitable, whatever the result. Political management skills of the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition-led Maha Vikas Aghadi will be tested once again soon.

Pressure is mounting against deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar within the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra in view of the ensuing assembly election in the state. Ajit, too, is bracing to face the onslaught as he has been repeatedly proclaiming his allegiance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP has made it clear it will fight the assembly election together with Ajit. But, ever since the Lok Sabha election results are out, the disappointing performance by the NCP(A) and the heavy price paid by the BJP in several constituencies owing to its decision to take Ajit on board are the twin topics of discussion in political circles. Open opposition to continuance of the NCP(A) in the Mahayuti is being expressed by local leaders of the BJP. CM Eknath Shinde’s certain supporters, too, feel that taking along him will be burdensome for the Mahayuti. The latest flashpoint was Ajit’s decision to invite former minister Nawab Malik at his residence for a party meeting. The BJP is vehemently opposed to Malik’s association as he was detained by the ED in some sensitive matter. Another major factor is Ajit’s reported demand for 85 seats in the 288-member house. Expectedly, the BJP and Shinde’s Sena will vie to become the first and second largest partners in the saffron alliance. According to this arithmetic, the NCP(A) will have to satisfy itself by accepting the third place. Ajit will have to play his cards by keeping this likelihood in sight.

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde is emerging as an independent leader which even the might of the BJP has acceded to. Soon after Shinde assumed power two years back on June 30, 2022, it was largely believed that the Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena would eventually be made to merge with the BJP and the name and symbol would be wiped out. However, far from being wiped out, Shinde has kept the Sena flag so strong that the BJP has officially announced that Shinde would be leading the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance into the polls. Meanwhile, both his deputies — Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar — are busy struggling to retain their base within their own parties as they face power struggles from within. Fadnavis’ stature has witnessed sharp climb down post-Lok Sabha debacle while Ajit Pawar support base is being debilitated by an astute Sharad Pawar. The Manoj Jarange Patil-led Maratha agitation has further consolidated his position; any attempt to dislodge this Maratha CM would not be acceptable to the Maratha community. The BJP which suffered strong backlash from the Maratha community in the Lok Sabha poll would not want to antagonise Marathas at this stage. Shinde is also working on crafting his own individual brand. His strategy of tagging chief minister to the monthly stipend for women scheme — Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana — has resonated well with rural women who are flocking to government offices in large numbers. He also got the winning Indian Cricket team to visit the Maharashtra assembly, the posters for which bore the CM’s face along with his two deputies, rather than the faces of the popular cricketers.

The leadership of Ajit Pawar faces its most critical litmus test as he gears up to lead his faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to fight not just his uncle Sharad Pawar but some disgruntled leaders within his own party, besides, facing hostile vibes from his alliance partners — BJP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde). This attack from multiple fronts is on account of the poor show of his party in the Lok Sabha polls; it bagged just one of the four seats. Even RSS openly expressed its displeasure of BJP entering into an alliance with Ajit Pawar in view of his blemished track record. Luckily, he has got a big relief; BJP has sent out a message that it will fight the forthcoming Assembly polls together. The other problem he is facing is poaching. Srom some of his own ex-party colleagues now in Sharad Pawar’s camp are trying to woo leaders from his camp. There have been constant claims in the media about how 10-12 of his legislators are in touch with the Sharad Pawar’s faction and may cross over. Some of the senior leaders within his own party are not particularly happy about his unilateral decision to nominate his wife Sunetra Pawar who lost the Lok Sabha battle to Supriya Sule, to Rajya Sabha. It is learnt that strong leaders like Chhagan Bhujbal have already begun strengthening his Samata Parishad platform, through which he has been very vocal in supporting the OBC agitation. Whether Ajit Pawar is able to retain his flock, put up a strong fight and bounce back, now remains to be seen.

The last budgetary allocations before the October assembly polls in Maharashtra hold much political significance. Legislators across the political spectrum are eagerly waiting for fund allocations before deciding their next political move –which party to crossover. Currently, budgetary allocation is the only thing holding MLA’s from jumping on to other parties for tickets or even to contest as independents to protect their careers from coalition compulsions. It’s an open secret that budgetary allocations for works in constituencies are crucial for legislators not just as brownie points for seeking votes for elections but also serves as indirect funding for their elections through kickbacks from contractors. Ajit Pawar, who continues to retain the finance ministry despite change of governments in Maharashtra and has recently presented his 10th budget, is known to be partial towards providing allocations for his supporters. He has earlier been accused of walking away with fund allocations for his legislators even as overlooking those for the others. His nephew and most vocal critic Rohit Pawar has already accused the Mahayuti government of bringing out tenders with lax conditions to suit their favourite contractors with an eye on funding elections. The state, whose debt has already mounted to Rs 7.8 lakh crore, is planning to table supplementary demands worth over Rs 1 lakh crore for various works.

Maharashtra’s three-party alliance government’s last budget has instigated a war of attrition. As anticipated, the budget has showered a bevy of announcements with an intent to please as many sections of society as possible in view of the coming assembly election. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, after presenting the budget, expressed confidence that it will dispense justice to all. Similarly, opposition leaders including Uddhav Thackeray have attacked the budget, saying that it lacks imagination and initiative to develop the state. The state is under a debt burden of over Rs 7 lakh crore though its ratio with vis a vis state GDP is within norms. The proposed measures in this budget are bound to add to the indebtedness as over Rs 50,000 crore will have to be shelled out during the year towards the interest payment. At the top of Pawar’s basket is the “CM’s Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme (My Dear Sister Scheme)” under which all women between 21 and 60 years of age will receive Rs 1500 every month. It is a replica of a similar scheme under implementation in Madhya Pradesh. Farmers, too, are wooed by promising them to write off all their dues towards the power consumption for their agricultural pumps.  Girls desirous of taking professional courses and falling in specified economic categories will not have to pay any tuition or examination fees. Pawar, while presenting the interim budget for 2024-25, has promised three cooking gas cylinders free of charge to eligible families annually. The resultant additional burden is being calculated by the opposition to sharpen its attack during the current session.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra is finding itself in a similar situation, faced by the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Both sides are engaged in concealing the fissures within. Leaders from both camps keep claiming that several MLAs from the opposite side are on their way to their fold. The simmering unrest came to the fore when Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut set off a fierce debate in the MVA by obliquely suggesting that Uddhav Thackeray should be the CM face of the Aghadi for the coming assembly election. State Congress president Nana Patole has discounted the demand by merely remarking that his party has decided not to comment on any of Raut’s statements. Incidentally, the Congress has won the largest number of LS seats in the state. Jayant Patil, leader of the third partner, the NCP (Sharad Pawar), says that the priority for now is to concentrate on winning the election unitedly. Conversely, the Mahayuti is in the same boat. Though ruling, its three partners are not on the same page over several issues. Already, sections of the BJP and Sena (Shinde) have started blaming the NCP faction led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar for the Mahayuti’s Lok Sabha debacle. Some local units have gone to the extent of demanding removal of the NCP(A) from the Yuti. Countering statements against each other are becoming common for the Mahayuti, posing a challenge for the leadership.   

Maharashtra’s BJP deputy chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis offered to resign over the 2024 Maha Lok Sabha debacle the party suffered but the high command rejected it. Then the social media faux pas happened, when BJP’s Maharashtra IT cell head Shweta Shalini sued well known Marathi journalist Bhau Torsekar who in his Youtube show Pratipaksha equated Shweta with south Indian actor and party counterpart ‘Ramya’ who cost the party badly down south India some years ago. Fadnavis’ outreach to Bhau met with the latter’s follow-up parody episode further impacting the deputy CM’s public persona. Consequent social media outburst from party insiders exposed all the Fadnavis men for mismanagement of Rs 550 crore party funds during Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra. Sources say, one close confidant of Fadnavis is accused of usurping Rs 25 crore to purchase a high-end apartment in tony Malabar Hill, and also renting a plush office in Mumbai at Rs 10 lakh a month. Likewise another confidant from Nagpur is believed to have secured plum posting in MSEB. BJP’s Lok Sabha debacle in Maharashtra is being attributed to wrong selection of candidates, conceding more Mumbai seats to CM Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and disconnect with BJP cadres. Will Fadnavis mend the tear, put his house in order in time to face state assemblies? Time will tell, even as BJP additionally invests ‘Tan, Man & Dhan’ upon Fadnavis’ NCP counterpart Ajit Pawar for edge in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections of 2024.

Veteran leader Sharad Pawar’s grandson Rohit Pawar has threatened to make a sensational disclosure regarding the state government within two days, involving commissions exceeding Rs 5000 crore. The NCP (SP) MLA, who is emerging as the potential future power centre within the party, has been making his presence felt. For some time, he is seen as the chief attacker against the rival NCP led by his uncle, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. The recent drubbing received by Ajit’s NCP in the Lok Sabha election has created flutters in his party, with news reports galore that some of his followers are likely to cross over to the NCP (SP). Against this backdrop, Rohit’s meeting with Maharashtra governor Ramesh Bais has created considerable suspense. His explanation that the meeting was to discuss certain vital issues of the state’s concern is hardly taken at face value. In his ‘X’ post, Rohit has claimed that bills worth Rs 20,000 crore for the public works department are already pending payment. Despite this, why new works costing similar huge amounts are being taken up. “Wait for two days, a big explosion is on its way,” he said. Alleging that the new expenditure will be incurred to show to the public that ‘something’ is being done for them, Rohit has warned the NDA rulers in the state that they will meet the same fate as in the Lok Sabha election for the coming assembly election.

Even as all political parties in Maharashtra gear up for the forthcoming assembly polls scheduled around October, a sharp split between the Marathas and the Other Backward Class (OBC) community threatens to distort the political atmosphere of Maharashtra. Bandhs, highway blockages, stone throwings, tyre burnings fuelled by vitriolic statements from new leaders emerging from hunger strike agitations have become the order of the day. The consolidation of the Maratha vote bank which began with the successful agitation by Manoj Jarange Patil and subsequently led to the defeat of leading OBC leaders in the recent Lok Sabha, has sparked a sharp reaction from the OBC community which is feeling threatened. The OBC community views the consolidation of Maratha vote bank as an attempt to gnaw into their reservations and political strength. The OBC leadership across many political parties is also consolidating itself with leaders like Pankaja Munde from the BJP, Dhananjay Munde and Chhagan Bhujbal from the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP with support offered by Vijay Waddetiwar, leader of opposition in assembly from the Congress and even Prakash Ambedkar from the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) finding a common cause. The BJP, which suffered the most due to the Maratha consolidation in the LS elections, has now thrown in its weight behind the OBC plank, mulling Rajya Sabha berth to Pankaja Munde, reclaiming Eknath Khadse and even offering encouraging signals to Chhagan Bhujbal. The BJP is now on a sticky wicket as it struggles to do a balancing act to not antagonise the Maratha vote bank while retaining support of the OBC.

Maharashtra is poised for a run-for-your-money state assembly election with the battle for the “Kursi” being played out within the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) formation already. A source reveals the “Tutari” was sounded by Sharad Pawar announcing his intent to assume power leadership post elections. Nephew Ajit Pawar, who politically usurped the official Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) from under his feet, has launched into political gambits with a vengeance to engineer a crucial defection from his uncle’s camp to bolster his strength in the Rajya Sabha to three while recouping his faction’s prospects for Vidhan Sabha elections to 288 assembly constituencies, come November 2024. Uncle Pawar, aware that his Member of Parliament daughter Supriya Sule’s shot at a Union cabinet berth is off the table now, expects to take over the mantle of state politics with Congress unable to match Pawar’s stature with Maharashtra Congressmen being subsumed by his towering political personae. While seeking to shore up MLA numbers for his faction, the octogenarian Maratha may even be open to merging his faction with the Congress as CM elect. The Congress and Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Shiv Sena meanwhile, are squaring up against each other over a political tussle undermining the latter. Sharad Pawar may not be averse to becoming a CM again to stop BJP/Mahayuti in its tracks. Here, Pawar seeks tacit Congress approval to allow him the lead in state politics and is expecting Congress revertal by June 30 says a highly placed source.  Parallely, Pawar has also opened channels with Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav. And of course, Uddhav Thackeray who has tasted power wants to be CM again too.

The Nationalist Congress Party led by Ajit Pawar is presently buffeted by successive jolts. The latest are the suspense surrounding senior OBC minister Chhagan Bhujbal and the demand by sections in the BJP and the Shiv Sena (Shinde) to distance the NCP(A) in view of the upcoming assembly elections in the state. Intricately linked with this development, Bhujbal’s next step will impact the state politics since he is the focus of the Maratha-OBC conflict over the demand for reservations for the dominant caste. Bhujbal has been under pressure by his supporters to take a ‘decisive step’ about staying on with the NDA. Feelers are circulating that he could stage a homecoming – by returning to the Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray. He had left the Sena in 1992 to join the Congress and later switched over to the NCP floated by Sharad Pawar in 1999. His decision to go behind Ajit Pawar had astounded even his close supporters. Bhujbal can command a substantial OBC vote bank. If this is not enough for the NCP(A), some elements in the BJP and the Sena (Shinde) have started complaining that the NDA candidates in their areas did not receive the expected support from Ajit’s party. The anger has been heightened due to Ajit’s decision to send his wife Sunetra to the Rajya Sabha despite her defeat in the Lok Sabha election. The next week will prove testing for the three-party ruling alliance for several other reasons, too.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar is now at the receiving end for varying reasons. On the heels of the criticism published in the RSS mouthpiece ‘Organiser’ against the BJP’s decision to take him along, the NCP led by him decided to field his wife Sunetra for the lone Rajya Sabha vacancy from the state. As her’s is the only nomination, she will be elected unopposed. The disapproval of the decision emanates from the fact that Sunetra was defeated in the Lok Sabha election by Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule. Despite this, Ajit has prevailed upon his party leaders to grant the seat to her. The absence of chief minister Eknath Shinde and DCM Devendra Fadanvis at the time of filing of the nomination by Sunetra has added to the political speculation against Ajit. His clarification that he had not invited anyone for the filing, which was attended by only NCP(A) leaders, is seen as a lame defence. Ajit also did not respond to the ‘Organiser’ criticism, which had observed that the BJP had lessened its brand value by including Ajit in the state government. He said different people expressed their opinions after elections and they had a full right to do so. “I have concentrated on development. We have to face the coming assembly election with fresh vigour,” he said, declining to be drawn in a new controversy.

Newly elected Lok Sabha member Nilesh Lanke will like the public to believe that he accepted felicitation and refreshments from an unknown individual without knowing that the person was a dreaded gangster. “I realised what had happened only the next morning,” was Lanke’s explanation after his pictures with recently released don Gajanan Marne in Pune became viral. The clarification is laced with scorn and suspense since it is difficult to accept that a MP can be stopped by any unfamiliar person anywhere along any road and that he responds to such an invite with his presence without asking any questions. Interestingly, Lanke was with the NCP of Ajit Pawar till the eve of the Lok Sabha election. He switched over to the NCP under Sharad Pawar at the last moment and was fielded promptly against Sujay Vikhe Patil, a scion of the powerful sugar baron family. The feud between Sharad Pawar and the Vikhe family is well-known. Lanke has been elected by a comfortable margin. His unplanned visit to Gajanan, known as Gaja, raises many eyebrows. Gaja leads a gang which has about two dozen serious offences registered against it. Only recently, he was in Yerawada jail. The suspense has been created since Ajit Pawar’s son Parth, too, had met Gaja last year and the resultant furore had seen Ajit disapproving this meeting. All eyes are now on what Sharad Pawar says about Lanke’s explanation.

Veteran leader Sharad Pawar is now believed to be preparing a strategy to humble his nephew Ajit Pawar in the family home turf of Baramati by fielding Yugendra Pawar, his (Ajit’s) nephew, for the coming legislative assembly election. Ever since Ajit formed the breakaway faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) last year, Pawar has rarely spoken publicly against his erstwhile disciple. But his daughter Supriya has resoundingly defeated Sunetra, wife of Ajit in the Lok Sabha election. Even as Ajit has vowed to restart from scratch to win the coming election, Pawar has unsheathed his next move, it is felt. Defeating Ajit himself in Baramati will effectively end his political career, Pawar knows. Hence, his supporters have demanded that Yugendra should be the NCP(SP) candidate for the October assembly election from Baramati. Yugendra is the son of Pawar’s younger brother Shriniwas. He is an entrepreneur and treasurer of the Vidya Pratishthan, the academic gem in the Pawar fiefdom. Besides, he supervises the affairs of one of the sugar factories under the Pawar umbrella. Shriniwas and Yugendra actively campaigned for Supriya during the LS election. In his typical style, Pawar has asked his followers to wait and watch in response to their clamour for Yugendra. The cards will be opened step by step as the political scene in New Delhi develops, keeping all options open for Pawar.

Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar finally broke his near-silence over the Pune Porsche accident tragedy. His refusal to make any statement immediately after the horrific incident had provided his opponents enough fodder to attack him. Ajit Pawar, president of the Nationalist Congress Party on Saturday (June 1) supported his party MLA Sunil Tingre’s action of rushing to the Yerawada police station following calls from the accused minor’s father, Vishal Agrawal within minutes after the car hit that killed two techies. Defending the MLA, Ajit said it is common for elected representatives to visit after some major incident takes place in their constituency. However, he insisted that the police had done their duty by the book. Ajit listed the actions taken by the police, by the public health department against the two Sassoon Hospital doctors and by the state excise department after the mishap. He pointed out that the four members of the Agrawal family had been arrested. Hence, there was no question of shielding anyone, he thundered. Ajit has been facing criticism from various quarters, he being the guardian minister of Pune district in which the tragedy occurred on 19 May. Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar, too, has maintained that Tingre did come to the police station though the police had acted as per rules and regulations. Ajit has already accepted social activist Anjali Damania’s challenge to undergo a narco test in regard to the whole episode.

Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit) is experiencing some unease at present over the perceived adverse line adopted by its senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal. The latest cause is Bhujbal’s defence of rival NCP (Sharad) leader Jitendera Awhad, who is facing flak for tearing a picture of Dr BR Ambedkar during a protest action. The BJP and NCP (Ajit) have held protest demonstrations to condemn his lapse. Rather than following the Mahayuti line, Bhujbal has supported Awhad by saying that the error happened when he was protesting against Manusmritii. “We will not allow backdoor entry of this retrograde social code,” Bhujbal declared, annoying his own party. When a huge hoarding collapsed in Ghatkopar, Mumbai a couple of weeks ago, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray was attacked by some Mahayuti leaders in connection with the permission granted for erecting the massive billboard. At that time, too, Bhujbal had termed the criticism of Thackeray as wrong. Earlier Bhujbal had been refused the Lok Sabha Nashik candidacy, despite his efforts to obtain blessings from Delhi. During electioneering, he had stated that the response to the rallies of Sharad Pawar and Uddhav was overwhelming. Being a powerful OBC leader, it will be difficult for the NCP (Ajit) to touch Bhujbal. On the other hand, his choices to return to his earlier parties seem limited owing to his various caustic attacks against Sharad Pawar and Uddhav. The lid on the mystery will be lifted soon after the Lok Sabha results are out on 4 June, it is felt.

Ahead of the last day of polling for the 18th Lok Sabha across 57 seats including Varanasi from where PM Narendra Modi will be contesting for the third time, there is a quiet confidence in the ruling side about the number of seats the BJP will get. Yes there are some numbers to mull ahead of the Exit Poll. Top party bosses are apparently comfortable with reports that the BJP itself would be comfortably placed even as reports indicated that its allies in Maharashtra and Bihar are not able to deliver on candidates and perform just as well. It is being said the BJP is tipped to get 315 seats. Party sources said it may seem the BJP may have wasted its seats on the allies. BJP feels in Maharashtra the NCP (Ajit Pawar) faction does not seem keen on continuing in the NDA for the assembly polls. It is felt Ajit may merge his faction with his uncle Sharad Pawar for the assembly polls. Again, though PM Modi has gone all out backing the breakaway Shiv Sena group headed by Eknath Shinde, the ruling Sena may not come out in the top because of the choice of candidates. Performance of alliance partners could drag BJP in Bihar too.  RJD’s pitched campaign against JD(U) for Nitish Kumar’s flip-flop could hit some JD(U) candidates. Chirag Paswan’s skewed candidate selection has hit the NDA image in the state. It is for this reason that BJP leadership has begun to talk about doing very well in West Bengal and Odisha. Of course, PM Modi’s confidence to form the next government has not stopped the Congress leadership from staking claiming to form the government in Delhi. Meanwhile, in a copycat act of the TMC, the DMK also chose to stay away from the I.N.D.I.A bloc meet called on June 1.

After roasting deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar with various grave allegations, social activist Anjali Damania has now blamed the entire Pawar family “for vitiating the politics of Maharashtra.” Rogue and mafia elements from various parties have joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), she has said without making any distinction in regard to its vertical split. Damania came into the limelight some years ago when she trained her guns against powerful OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal. She turned her attention towards Ajit, the then DCM, around a decade ago. Ever since, Damania has been needling Ajit and the NCP on different counts. Only yesterday, she had demanded Ajit’s narco test in connection with his silence over the Pune car crash tragedy.  If the Pune police commissioner was saying that he had not spoken with Ajit but the latter was insisting that they had held a conversation, what was the reality, she had asked and demanded to know the truth.  Ajit accepted her challenge but issued an ultimatum of his own. “I am ready for a narco test. But Anjali should retire from public life if nothing comes out of the test.” Damania has accepted the challenge with a rider. She says she will frame the questions for the test. “If Ajit Pawar emerges unscathed, I guarantee that I shall not be seen on any public platform, as demanded by him,” she has dared him. In her attack against the NCP, she says, “If any one party needs to be finished, it is the NCP.”

Even before the 2024 Lok Sabha results are out, the momentum for the 288-legislature strong Maharashtra state elections, scheduled around October, has already started building up. Chhagan Bhujbal has already sounded the bugle by declaring that his Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) should not settle for anything less than 80-90 seats. He feels Ajit Pawar’s party got a raw deal during the Lok Sabha seat-sharing rounds. Bhujbal himself was forced to back out in the Nashik constituency to make way for Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena candidate Hemant Godse. Many parties like Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Bacchu Kadu’s Prahar Janshakti Party, Samajwadi Party, the Peasants and Workers Party of India had not put up candidates in the current Lok Sabha polls lured by better deals in state polls.  Besides, a large number of rebel aspirants across the parties during LS elections were also mollycoddled into backing off with promises of their aspirations being adjusted during the state elections. Prominent political scions like Rohini Khadse (daughter of Eknath Khadse), Siddhesh Kadam (son of Ramdas Kadam), Abhijeet Adsul (Son of Anantrao Adsul), Kiran Samant (brother of Uday Samant), who were all denied LS seats, are likely to swing back into action mode. It will also be the real testing ground for leaders like Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray, who have more at stake here in Maharashtra than at the national level. Besides the local state elections promises to activate and sharpen the divide among various lobbies and factions within the un-split parties. Each of these groups are gearing up to extract maximum seats at the seat-sharing bargaining table.

The Pune car crash tragedy is haunting Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar with a demand for his narco test and examination of his mobile phone. The demand made by social activist Anjali Damania has rattled his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), prompting its spokesman to remark that Damania operates on ‘recharge,’ thereby meaning that she repeats the allegations made by someone else. Suraj Chavan, a NCP spokesman, has asked for her narco test, in retaliation. The silence of Ajit after the Pune tragedy of 19 May had generated much speculation. Though he is guardian minister of Pune district, Ajit has kept himself away from the case lest some allegations could follow. State Congress president Nana Patole has added another twist by indicating that one of the four occupants of the ill-fated Porsche car was the son of a MLA. Though he has not disclosed any name or produced any evidence, the gravity of the charge has made the picture murkier. The latest angle in this sordid chain has been added by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushama Andhare. “Ensure safety of Dr Ajay Taware’s life,” she has said, in reference to his threat that he will spill the beans and not spare anyone. Dr Taware and his colleague Dr Shrihari Halnor are under arrest for switching the blood sample of the accused minor. If the blood sample can be faked, anything can happen, she has cautioned. She, too, has not pointed a finger at any individual. But her apprehensions have been ridiculed by Sena (Shinde) spokesman Sanjay Shirsat.

The embattled Pune police have heaved a sigh of relief after arresting two doctors from the government-run Sassoon Hospital on charges of replacing the blood sample of the main accused minor, who is charged with crushing two techies to death on Sunday last. The doctors, Ajay Tawre and Shrihari Halnor, were apprehended on Monday (May 27) morning for arranging to accept the graft amount of Rs 3 lakh and for sending bogus blood samples to the laboratory of the minor. The police were under fire since no blood report of the accused was forthcoming even after four days. Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar has explained that when the first blood report was sent to them, it said there was no trace of alcohol. This blatant ploy raised their suspicion and investigation took another turn. The second testing proved that the sample did not belong to the accused. It has now transpired that the accused’s father Vishal Agrarwal had contacted Dr Tawre and then it was decided to replace the blood sample in return for money. An attendant in the hospital’s post mortem section brought the graft amount in a Swift car, the commissioner has disclosed. The arrest of the two doctors has started another controversy since Dr Tawre has been with the hospital for 15 years though government stipulations say that normally, an officer should be transferred every three years. Reportedly, Dr Taware, who had been medical superintendent for approximately eight years, was instructed by the DMER to step down from his post in 2022 following alleged malpractice in the kidney transplant procedure. The regional organ transplant authorisation committee was then temporarily suspended. But in 2023, NCP (Ajit faction) MLA Sunil Tingre had written a letter to Health Minister Hasan Mushrif to reinstate Dr Taware and the same was done.

The Pune car crash tragedy is taking a political turn as different angles connected with the police station concerned and the family of builder Vishal Agarwal are coming out, one after another. The latest is about veteran leader Sharad Pawar. A picture of Pawar with the lawyer of the accused family members went viral on social media. When Pawar was asked about it on Friday, he lost temper and said connecting any past meeting with this episode was not fair. He retorted that it was not necessary that he should express opinion on every issue. The Pawar family is facing criticism on several counts about the deadly car crash. His daughter Supriya Sule, MP, broke her silence over the incident after she was repeatedly attacked for not saying a word for four days about it in her hometown. When Pawar was asked why his nephew and now adversary Ajit Pawar was not seen handling the investigation as guardian minister of Pune district, he snapped, “Ask this question to Ajit.” Even as the furore continues, local Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar has levelled serious allegations of corruption against Pune police force. The Lok Sabha candidate has circulated a couple of pictures of constables from a police station in inebriated mood and has threatened to expose such elements from different police stations every day from today. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has condemned politicisation of the sorry incident, saying that Pawar and I.N.D.I.A bloc are facing depression.

Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray’s wife Rashmi’s insistence to install Aaditya as the chief minister of Maharashtra in 2019 was overruled by veteran leader Sharad Pawar, who had refused to offer the same post to Ajit Pawar in 2004 since he wanted to promote Supriya Sule’s image as a future chief minister. Once Aaditya’s name was rejected, then unified Sena leaders Sanjay Raut and Anil Desai had pleaded with Pawar to appoint Uddhav as CM. This chain of events has been described by NCP (Ajit) chief spokesman Umesh Patil. He was trying to refute various claims being made by leaders of different parties involved over the past few days. Patil said the unified NCP had more MLAs than the Congress in 2004 and Ajit Pawar, as NCP legislative party leader, was the logical choice as CM. But Sharad Pawar put his foot down because he wanted to ensure that no competitor to his daughter Supriya should emerge. Patil also dismissed Raut’s claim that Eknath Shinde’s chief ministership was opposed by senior leaders Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare. Even in 2019, it had been decided by the NCP to team up with the BJP. However, Sharad Pawar reversed his stand at the eleventh hour, Patil has said. He claimed that the then Sena had decided to elevate Shinde as CM but Rashmi’s intervention led to Uddhav’s appointment.

No sooner was polling for the Lok Sabha over in Maharashtra, than a spate of sensational charges has started making rounds in political circles in the state. At least a dozen MLAs of the NCP (Ajit) are likely to cross over to the BJP after the results are out while many others may return to the NCP led by Sharad Pawar, according to state Congress spokesman Atul Londhe. He has specifically mentioned the names of NCP(Ajit faction) state president Sunil Tatkare and prominent OBC leader Dhananjay Munde, who had deserted the BJP a decade ago to join Sharad Pawar. The ‘X’ post by Londhe has taken a swipe, saying that Ajit Pawar perhaps would remain the lone member of his party. The post has come after Ajit’s trusted lieutenant Nilesh Lanke has once again refuted reports that he is returning to NCP (Sharad Pawar). He has stated that he will continue to follow Ajit Pawar. Even before denials were issued by NCP(Ajit) to contradict Londhe’s post, another audacious statement has created ripples. BJP MLA Nitesh Rane has claimed that Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray and his family are planning to flee to London after the LS results are out on 4 June. Rane, the second son of former CM Narayan Rane, has demanded that the authorities impound the passports of the Thackeray family. The verbal battle in the state is certain to escalate in the days to come.

Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) is forced to go on the defensive in connection with the two-day old Pune car tragedy as its local MLA’s name has been linked with the alleged royal treatment given to the minor offender. Congress and Uddhav Sena leaders have seized the opportunity to lambast the three-party Mahayuti government in the state. According to the chargesheet filed by Pune police, the accused’s speeding car killed two youngsters. His father, famous builder Vishal Agarwal, as well as the owner and manager of the bar when the minor consumed liquor have been arrested. From the moment the news of the accident became viral, the name of NCP (Ajit faction) MLA Sunil Tingre began surfacing. As the offender had been reportedly served with pizza and burger while under arrest in the police station, social media was agog with discussion that Tingre had intervened on behalf of the builder. On Tuesday (May 21), Tingre finally came out with an elaborate explanation, claiming that he had not hindered the police procedure at any stage. Soon thereafter, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar called Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar and asked him not to come under any political pressure. Amitesh denied all social gossip and maintained that the police had taken utmost precaution while applying various criminal charges. He announced that efforts will be made to apply IPC 302, considering the gravity of the incident.

He was conspicuous by his absence. Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was missing when PM Narendra Modi visited Maharashtra on May 15.  Ajit’s second disappearance has become a topic of political speculation though his aides have clarified that he is down with throat infection. This is Ajit’s second act of disappearance in as many years. The first disappearance was in April 2023 and it immediately became hot news against the backdrop of constant gossip that Maharashtra’s BJP leadership had been in touch with him. Ajit teamed up with the BJP in July 2023 as deputy chief minister and was greeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public function by tapping him on the back. At that time, too, it was clarified that he was indisposed and hence unavailable. It was also remembered that he was not present when Modi filed his Varanasi nomination a couple of days ago. Ajit’s NCP was represented by senior leader Praful Patel. When Modi visited Kalyan on May 15 before reaching Mumbai, Ajit’s close confidant Sunil Tatkare honoured the PM. Now, it has been confirmed that Ajit Pawar will attend mega rally at Shivaji Park on Friday. The rally’s another highlight will be MNS chief Raj Thackeray, a severe critic of the unified NCP. Ajit was last seen publicly on 13 May at Baramati from where his wife Sunetra is pitted against cousin Supriya Sule. Taking a swipe at his nephew, veteran Sharad Pawar sarcastically quipped, “Ajit is really unwell at present.”

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde is perceived as the main gainer in the Lok Sabha seat distribution among the three partners of the ruling Mahayuti alliance. While the BJP has the largest share of the seats, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has had to satisfy with just four the undivided NCP had won in 2019. Hence, Ajit’s political future is a matter of discussion now since his adversaries have started painting him as a loser. The Shiv Sena under Shinde has obtained 15 seats, leaving the remaining 28 for the BJP. The NCP (Ajit) will thus fight in Raigad, Dharashiv, Shirur and Baramati constituencies. On the other hand, Shinde has been able to secure Kalyan, Thane and Nashik LS seats, which will witness a close fight. Incidentally, the BJP was trying to obtain these three seats as it was under pressure from its local leaders. Sensing the possible criticism, Ajit had explained that the NCP (undivided) had won four seats in 2019 and would recontest them this time, too. Additionally, he wanted his party to get the prestigious Satara seat won by it the last time, but dropped its claim since a scion of the family of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was selected to stand there.  Ajit and Shinde have the assembly as the focus of their future politics. Hence, the present arrangement is viewed as an adjustment for the long term strategy to decimate the Congress and Sharad Pawar from the state political scene.

The battle between Mahayuti candidate Sunil Dattatray Tatkare and Maha Vikas Aghadi’s Anant Gangaram Geete in Raigad Lok Sabha constituency is likely to end in a suspense since namesakes of both candidates have filed nominations. Tatkare, the sitting MP, has been fielded by the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP while Geete is contesting on behalf of the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray. Geete,  a former Union Industries minister, has been elected repeatedly from the constituency. Interestingly, there are two more independent candidates with the same name Anant Geete. They are Anant Padma Geete and Anant Baloji Geete. Similarly, there is a Sunil Dattaram Tatkare, who is not known locally at all. The three pose a risk of splitting the votes. In 2014 a similar thing had happened in Raigad. Tatkare and Geete were in a close fight but the seat was ultimately won by Geete by a slim margin of around 2000 votes while the “other” Tatkare had polled over 9,000 votes resulting in politician Takare losing. In 1991, top PWP leader Datta Patil had to suffer when a similar tactic was used against him. In fact, the Raigad constituency is known for such independent candidates, who can derail real candidates’ winning chances. It is said that Tatkare is using the same strategy this time, played by the Sena 10 years ago to defeat him.

Sharad Pawar may be bearing the brunt of his powerful family torn apart over politics, but he too is not averse to exploiting familial relationships for electoral gains in Lok Sabha 2024 polls.  The most prominent example is that of Kolhapur’s Shrimant Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj. When the politically ambitious Yuvraj Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati was all geared up to fire for Lok Sabha polls through his Swarajya Sanghatana, Pawar played a masterstroke. He met and convinced his father Shahu Maharaj to contest from Kolhapur, forcing the son to retreat thus eclipsing himself completely out of the state poll scene. Similarly, at Madha constituency, he thoroughly exploited the rift between the BJP’s Ranjitsinh Naik-Nimbalkar with his politically influential uncle Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar, which got the senior Nimbalkar to demand a change of candidate from the BJP. When the party refused, Pawar got key aspirant Dhairyashil Mohite-Patil to quit the BJP and gave him a NCP ticket for Madha constituency. Ajit Pawar’s chief aide Sunil Tatkare, who also took on senior Pawar along with Ajit, found his brother Anil Tatkare in Sharad Pawar’s faction of NCP as state vice-president. Ajit himself has been complaining that the entire Pawar clan has stepped out to campaign against him including those who never step out for it.  At 83, Senior Pawar is putting all his skills to play to put his opponents on the backfoot.

The Election Commission’s directive to the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray not to use ‘Hindu’ and ‘Jai Bhawani’ in its campaign song has provided an unexpected boost to the party’s morale. Uddhav has already challenged the order, saying he is prepared to fight a legal battle over the intended ban. Burdened by the role as the largest partner in the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Uddhav Sena has been finding itself cornered due to various sensational disclosures against Uddhav and his two-year rule. Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar have been in the forefront in this regard. In this atmosphere, the EC’s fiat has come as a shot in the arm as the words – Hindu and Jai Bhawani – possess magical effect on the Marathi psyche, irrespective of any party ideology. Sensing this, Uddhav has declared his resolve to oppose the order. But deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and some other leaders have attacked Uddhav by reminding him that he had left the Hindutva long back when he decided to go with the Congress and other such forces. Uddhav has argued that PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah continue to invoke Lord Ram and Bajrang Bali in their speeches. Take action against them first, he has challenged the EC, which is yet to respond to the Sena’s communication opposing the ban.

The Congress in Maharashtra has lost another influential leader as former chief minister AR Antulay’s son-in-law Mushtaq Antulay has joined the NCP led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. The development will impact the political calculations in Raigad, Antulay’s home district. State NCP president Sunil Tatkare is seeking a second Lok Sabha term from the constituency associated with the capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It was Antulay who as CM had renamed Kulaba district as Raigad in 1980. In his budding years at the time, Tatkare was a loyal soldier of Antulay but later switched over to the NCP set up by Sharad Pawar in 1999. Since then, Antulay and Tatkare became political foes. After Antulay’s exit, Mushtaq was sidelined by the Congress party for a long time. Ending this acrimony, Mushtaq has joined the NCP and supplemented Tatkare’s campaign against the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which has fielded former Union energy minister Anant Geete, who was trounced by Tatkare in 2019. Due to Antulay’s seminal developmental initiatives, he had a large following irrespective of party or caste considerations. Shrivardhan, Dapoli and Mahad assembly segments in the Lok Sabha jurisdiction were known to be loyal to him. Mushtaq, however, could not capitalise on this goodwill. Now in the NCP, he has an opportunity to resurrect his political career during the upcoming assembly polls.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s nomination has been rejected by the returning officer on technical grounds for the prestigious Baramati Lok Sabha constituency. However, this decision will not impact the fierce electioneering or the outcome. Ajit had filed papers as a precaution in case his wife Sunetra’s nomination was rejected. Now, her paper has been found in order like that of her sister-in-law Supriya Sule, her main challenger. Citing a rule which stipulates that if a political party candidate’s nomination form received first is found valid, the other forms on behalf of the same party are rejected. Due to this provision, Ajit’s form has been unaccepted. Applying the same rule, the nomination form of Sachin Dodake was rejected since he had filed as a dummy for Supriya. However, Sachin’s nomination as an independent has been accepted. Interestingly, one Sharad (Ram) Pawar has also entered the Baramati arena. His nomination as an independent has been found valid. He belongs to a local autorickshaw union. His presence will only be a token. The real fight will be between two titans – NCP founder Sharad Pawar and nephew Ajit Pawar — through Sunetra Pawar and Supriya Sule. Baramati will go to the polls in the third phase, on 7 May. The constituency has remained loyal to the Pawar family since 1967. This is the first time that two factions of the family are taking on each other.

Coalition politics has come under major strain in this election, with party workers either boycotting or refusing to campaign for candidates of coalition partners. The most prominent example is clearly Sangli, where Congress workers are clearly out in support of rebel candidate VIshal Patil and Uddhav Thackeray had to urge his coalition partner to urge the Congress rebels to withdraw, and workers to campaign for his official candidate, Chandrahar Patil. Congress workers were also initially missing in action from Mumbai South Central constituency, where Congress city president Varsha Gaikwad was keen to contest but Uddhav Thackeray got the seat for his aide Anil Desai. This trend isn’t restricted to any particular party and is evident across many constituencies. Chief minister’s son Shrikant Shinde, too has been struggling to get workers of his coalition partners, the BJP, to campaign for him in his Kalyan constituency. Reportedly, Ajit Pawar’s workers were missing even during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden campaign rally at Chandrapur.  Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party fresh inductee and candidate from Dharashiv, Archana Patil, whose husband is a BJP legislator, wondered why she had to work for the growth of the NCP over that of her parent party, the BJP, where her husband Rana Jagjitsinh Patil continues to be legislator.  She was made to change her party from BJP to NCP to accommodate seat sharing adjustments. An uproar later, Ajit Pawar’s face and symbol was on her campaign posters. These poll results could well be a determiner about the way coalition politics could play out in the future.

The BJP is preparing a strategy under which each MLA will have to ensure a sizable lead for the NDA’s Lok Sabha candidate in his/her constituency. Each Lok Sabha constituency’s six assembly segments will play an important role in bringing back the saffron rule at the Centre. Accordingly, specific targets have been prepared for the BJP MLAs. These will be analysed after the election results are out. In the case of Maharashtra, the Assembly election will take place in October 2024. For Maharashtra, the NDA is working towards winning 40-plus out of 48 seats. The BJP, the dominant partner, is supported this time by the breakaway Shiv Sena and NCP factions. Much will depend upon the collective working by the triumvirate. In view of this situation, even MLAs of the Sena (Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) will have to be wary and work assiduously to ensure the NDA’s victory. The other aspect of the plan is to curtail potential rebellion. It has started showing its effectiveness. The first beneficiary is Union minister Narayan Rane, who has filed his nomination for the Sindhudurg-Ratnagiri constituency in the Konkan. The other strong claimant was Sena (Shinde) leader Kiran Samant, brother of Uday Samant, a top minister in Shinde’s cabinet, who has declared in the presence of his elder brother that he will work for Rane’s victory. More of this is anticipated around the state.

Firebrand OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal has announced his withdrawal from the Lok Sabha election. He himself has made this momentous announcement, saying that any delay in deciding a candidate for the Nashik constituency could be denting the Mahayuti’s prospects. Bhujbal indicated that none had asked him to walk out but chief minister Eknath Shinde’s insistence for the seat is seen as the reason for this significant development. Had Bhujbal been fielded, there was the possibility of the Maratha opposition as he is the main exponent of the OBC’s opposition to their reservation demand. However, neither Bhjubal nor sitting Sena (Shinde) MP Hemant Godse have touched upon this aspect. But the announcement has almost endorsed Godse’s bid for a third term. Bhujbal thanked Union home minister Amit Shah, disclosing that Shah was insistent for him, as informed by DCM Ajit Pawar and confirmed by another DCM Devendra Fadnavis. Godse has expressed satisfaction over Bhujbal’s decision and the Mahayuti, too, feels relieved since Nasik was one of the seats for which so far no unanimity could occur. Bhujbal has now declared that he will tour Maharashtra for the victory of Mahayuti candidates. His presence in some constituencies could be beneficial, but inconvenient in some others due to his strident pro-OBC stance. 

The ruling saffron alliance in Maharashtra is predicted to suffer in the coming Lok Sabha election, according to an Opinion Poll conducted by the Marathi news channel ABP Majha and C-Voter. The channel has flashed the inferences drawn by the poll conducted across the state. The highlight of the prediction is that the three-party Mahayuti will have to content itself with just 30 seats, yielding the remaining 18 to the Opposition-led I.N.D.I.A front. The Mahayuti had won 41 seats in 2019. The shocking prophecy in the poll is that the NCP led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar will not be able to win a single Lok Sabha seat. The broad findings of the poll are as follows: BJP 21/22, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) 9/10, Shiv Sena (UBT) 9, NCP (Sharad) 5 and Congress 3. Moreover, in Baramati, Supriya Sule is likely to be re-elected, the poll says. The Congress party will improve its tally to three from the lone Chandrapur seat it won in the 2019 election. The NCP under Sharad Pawar will retain Satara and Shirur while the results in Madha, Nanded and Parbhani will be astonishing, according to the poll. The Sena under Uddhav Thackeray will receive a much-needed boost if it can win about 10 seats since most of its sitting MPs and MLAs have gone with chief minister Eknath Shinde.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s surprise move to decide to file a nomination from family fiefdom Baramati is seen more as a precaution than strategy. His wife Sunetra is the nominee of his faction of the NCP. His uncle Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Suleis seeking re-election from the constituency, facing the formidable challenge mounted by her sister in law Sunetra. Ajit has obtained nomination forms and is expected to file the same. As and when Sunetra’s papers are found in order, he will withdraw. The precaution has been prompted after the Congress fiasco in Ramtek seat in Vidarbha. There, official candidate Rashmi Barve’s nomination was rejected on caste certificate grounds. Fortunately for the Congress, her husband Shyamkumar had also filed papers as a dummy candidate. He is now in the fray. Emulating the lesson, Ajit has prepared to fight in case of any complications in the scrutiny. His action is perceived as a firm resolve to end his uncle’s hegemony in Baramati in particular and Pune district, too

Veteran leader Sharad Pawar has backtracked on his controversial remark about nephew Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra, whom he had described as an ‘outsider’ in Baramati. Pawar had passed this remark while campaigning for his daughter Supriya Sule, and appealed to the electors indirectly to vote for a ‘local’ candidate. This remark to further Supriya’s prospects became viral and has been condemned by several women activists. Alerted by the likely backlash during voting, Pawar clarified before the media in Satara that he had never made such a statement. ‘I was only reacting to Ajit’s call to elect his wife by saying that after the people of Baramati had elected myself, Ajit and Supriya, they should elect another Pawar.”  Ajit and Sunetra were married in 1985, almost four decades ago. Although she has refused to react to the thorny issue, it is becoming election ammunition. Sunetra is the younger sister of Dr Padamsingh Patil, an ardent former confidant of Pawar and Dharashiv (Osmanabad) strongman, dreaded for his daredevil style of politics. In a bid to blunt likely opposition attacks, Pawar mentioned that he was the first chief minister in India to implement a special policy for women whereby they were granted reservations for local body elections. He recalled that it was during his term as defence minister that women were inducted in defence services.

The NCP faction under founder Sharad Pawar is banking upon ‘imported’ candidates for the coming Lok Sabha election. The NCP (Pawar) is contesting 10 seats in Maharashtra and five of its nominees have come from outside. But the party is not alone. All major parties have adopted this route to ensure wins on their roster. After nephew Ajit Pawar engineered a vertical split in the NCP, most of the elected members, in the state and in parliament, chose to part ways with Sharad Pawar. Hence he explored the hopefuls elsewhere and offered them candidature, denied by their party. Those crossing over include BJP’s Shriram Patil from Jalgaon. Wardha’s NCP (Ajit faction) candidate Amar Kale has been elected on a Congress ticket to the assembly thrice. At least two Ajit followers have staged a homecoming. They are Nilesh Lanke from Ahmednagar district and Bajrang Sonawane from Beed district. Both have been fielded by Sharad Pawar soon after their return. Lanke is a powerful orator, who will take on the influential Vikhe-Patil family’s scion Dr Sujay, sitting MP. The latest to join him is Dhairyasheel from the powerful Mohite-Patil family from Solapur district. He will be contesting from Madha. He was BJP’s organising secretary for several years. Pawar himself is campaigning for them despite his advancing years. The Shiv Sena (Shinde), the BJP and the Congress, too, have welcomed such turncoats.